


The Old Guard Holiday Special

by notfromcold



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Gen, Nile Freeman Needs a Hug, Nile Freeman gets a hug, Team Bonding, gratuitous christmas music
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:28:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28022439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notfromcold/pseuds/notfromcold
Summary: Holidays are hard. Holiday traditions are important.
Relationships: Nile Freeman & Nicky | Nicolo di Genoa
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	The Old Guard Holiday Special

Nile had been told she had a lot of emotional intelligence. Sometimes, she thought bleakly, curled in a ball on her bedroom floor, it even extended to her own emotions. That was probably why she had waited to play Christmas music until she was alone in the house. She knew it was going to hurt.

She still didn’t expect the little cry that came clawing up her throat when Silent Night came up on shuffle. So she breathed out and squared her shoulders. Then she walked into her room, shut the door, and wept in time to her playlist.

There was a knock sometime later. “Nile?” Nicky asked. “We are going to order takeout. What would you like?”

“Um. I’d like...” Fuck. Her voice sounded terrible.

“Nile? Are you okay?”

“I’m -” Nile couldn’t say what possessed her to open the door, maybe she was just tired of being stoic and sick of feeling alone. “I don’t know.”

“Can I come in?” Nicky asked. When she nodded he smiled a little and joined her on the floor.

“Sorry,” Nile sniffed. “This is silly and now I’m thinking of some way to make a joke about my Christmas plans revolving around crying to Veni, Veni Emanuel.”

Nicky inclined his head seriously, as though he had not foreseen the need for this, but was willing to adjust his plans to include it. “Are you having any luck with the joke?”

Nile sniffed again. “Not really.”

“No, I can see that. It’s a tall order. You kids and your modern music. I don’t understand the appeal.”

Nile laughed wetly in spite of herself, glad Nicky was refraining from his usual gentleness. She was sure that would have made her break down sobbing again.

“It’s my family’s first holiday without me,” she managed. “My brother converted to Judaism three years ago. So we started celebrating Hanukkah with him, too. And my mom is all about Christmas. Now somehow more holidays make it hurt more - more holidays where I’m not there and they are mourning me. And I’m missing them.”

“Oh, Nile. Can I give you a hug?”

“Yeah. I might get snot and tears on your shirt, though.”

“That’s okay,” Nicky assured her, wrapping her in his arms and letting her cry into his shoulder. “We don’t want to replace your family, Nile. But if there are traditions you want to observe and you would like company, we would gladly observe them with you.”

“Observing traditions,” Nile laughed. “You make cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning sound very formal.”

Nicky laughed with her. “We don’t really do too many holiday traditions. But we could do one tonight if you like? Andy and Joe love the Star Wars Holiday Special. And they love throwing popcorn at the screen. Would you like to join us?”

“Yeah,” Nile smiled. “I think I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> The Star Wars Holiday special really is a thing to behold. But there are some flashing lights for those sensitive to them.


End file.
